Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [8]
Next you’ll see a page that lists some “interesting and famous” people whose posts you might like to read. These folks are shown in a grid on the left side of the page, and you can switch to a different category of people by clicking the topics on the right—entertainment, news, music, and so on. If you don’t want to add anyone, just click Continue at the bottom of the page. If you happen to see someone you’re interested in, mouse over the “Add to circles” button next to their name, pick Following from the list that appears under your cursor, and then click the Continue button at the bottom of the page. (You’ll learn all about circles—including what the Following circle is and what public posts are—in Chapter 2.)
NOTE
If you decide not to connect with people in your email address book or with famous types, Google+ may display a pop-out warning that “You might be lonely.” Just click “Continue anyway,” and forget about Google’s concerns. You can easily add people to your Google+ network from lots of places, as you’ll soon see.
Fleshing Out Your Profile
YOU CAN JOIN GOOGLE+ by providing nothing more than your first name, last name, gender, and (maybe) birthdate, but it’s better to give your friends and the folks who run across your profile more to go on. So the second page you see after officially joining Google+ is one where you can add details to your profile.
The fields on this page aren’t mandatory, but they are pretty standard for most social-networking sites (and even most job applications): the school you graduated from, the place you work, and where you live. Why would you want to fill in these fields if they’re not required? The box on What a Google Profile Does for You gives you the lowdown.
After clicking “Continue” on the “Add additional profile information…” page, you’ll arrive at the main Google+ screen, which shows—well, not a whole lot. That’s because you haven’t connected with anybody on Google+ yet, and with just a small portion of your profile filled out, folks might not instantly find you. Not to worry—that’ll change soon. Head to your profile page by clicking the Profile button in the gray row of buttons near the top of this screen—it has a small head silhouette in a circle on it.
When you arrive at your profile, Google+ displays a white box that includes a few fields you can fill in to include a tagline and more details about yourself, like your employment and education history. Take note of the gray boxes under each of the profile pieces, including your photo. Click one of them, and you’ll see a bunch of visibility options:
Anyone on the web means just what it sounds like—anyone who searches for your name, stumbles across your profile page, or receives the web address for your profile can see those elements of your profile with this setting. This is the option Google+ chooses automatically unless you change it.
Extended circles and Your circles are things you’ll learn about in the next chapter. (Circles are the way you organize your Google+ contacts.) For now, consider these settings to mean “People I’ve specifically allowed to see this and/or friends of those people.”
Only you is just you, baby, and it’s the safest option if you’re not sure whether to share something. Google+ is, however, a social network, and so keeping stuff to yourself doesn’t make it worth much.
Custom lets you share info with particular people and circles. You’ll learn how on Writing a post while viewing your main stream.
You’ll have a better understanding of circles and Google+ sharing very soon, but for now, decide what you’re comfortable leaving public, and set the other bits as “Only you” or “Your circles” (which, at this point, contain only you).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: WHAT A GOOGLE PROFILE DOES FOR YOU
Why should I incude anything beyond the required basics in my Google+ profile? What’s the point of letting strangers know where I’ve lived or sharing